What is it Wednesday archive: November 28, 2018

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

the day after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on November 28, 2018. 

And the answer is....

This oily-looking sheen is not caused by pollution, but by naturally occurring bacteria. 

In places where there is a lot of organic material and no oxygen - like a marsh - anaerobic bacteria  are present. Certain kinds of these bacteria break down minerals like iron to get energy. As the bacteria break down the mineral, the combination of the mineral, the bacteria, and byproducts of the bacteria like methane creates the colorful sheen we see. 

There is iron naturally present in the rocks and sediments of Pennsylvania, so this occurs pretty commonly around here with iron-loving bacteria, often with small amounts of an orange sediment nearby.

One way to determine if a sheen like this is caused by pollution or is naturally occurring is to tap the sheen - if it breaks up and stays broken (sometimes looking a little like broken glass) the oily sheen is from bacteria. If it swirls and re-combines, then it is from man-man petroleum products. 

During LEEP activities, we often get questions about this and other natural phenomena we encounter in nature. To find out more about how you can be a part of LEEP activities and learn the answers to nature puzzles like this, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee.

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!